Shoe-cleaner.



P. H. HIGLEY.

SHOE CLEANER. I APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, W14.

1,136,528. Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

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PRATT H. HIGLEY, 0F GILLESPIEVILLE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 0F 0NE-HALF T0 CHARLES E. STEWART, OF GILLESPIEVILLE, OHIO.

SHOE-CLEANER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PRATT H. HIGLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grillespieville, in the county of Ross and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Cleaners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to shoe cleaners, and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a device of simple con struction which will quickly and thoroughly clean the bottom and sides of the soles of a boot or shoe and which can be quickly adjusted for cleaning the vamp or upper portion of the boot or shoe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaner for boots and shoes comprising a base having a brush secured thereto for cleaning the bottom of the sole, and handles hinged to the base for carrying vertically disposed brushes for cleaning the edges or upper portion of the shoe or boot.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a boot or shoe cleaner made in accordance with this invention and showing in dotted lines one of the handles thrown out of vertical position, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the invention with the handles broken away.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a base to which is connected a rectangular supporting block 2. Connected to the base 1 is a scraper comprising a bar 3 having a sharpened upper edge designed for scraping mud or snow off of the soles of boots or shoes, said scraper having angu larly bent feet 4 at its ends secured to the base 1 by suitable fastenings or bolts 5. Secured to the upper side of the supporting block 2 is a brush the bristles 7 of which are disposed upwardly and designed for the purpose of cleaning the bottom of the sole of a boot or shoe.

Vertical handle members 8 are hinged to the supporting block 2 at opposite sides thereof by suitable hinge members 9. Springs comprising diverging legs 10 are Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Application filed April 23, 1914. Serial No. 833,971.

connected to the block 2 by means of inwardly turned ends 11 driven into the block. The upper end of the spring legs 10 are connected to the handle member 8 by means of a suitable staple l2. Secured to the inner sides near the lower end of the handles 8 are vertically disposed brushes 13 the bristles 14 of which extend inwardly for cleaning the side edges of the sole of the boot or shoe, and said bristles may be thrown to one side or the other by moving the handles 8 to clean the vamp or upper portion of the boot or shoe. A chain 15 is connected to the inner sides of the handles 8 to limit the swinging movement of said handles.

The manner of using the shoe cleaner may be briefly described as follows: The thick mud or snow may be removed from the sole of the shoe by means of the scraper bar 3. The boot or shoe is then placed upon the bristles 7 and the handles are grasped at their upper ends at a and moved outwardly or inwardly against the stress of the spring arms 10 to clean the sides of the sole and portions of the upper.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a shoe cleaner made in accordance with this invention is simple in construction, can be manufactured at low cost, and is efficient for its purpose.

Various changes may be made in thedetails of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claim.

What is claimed is:

A cleaner for boots and shoes comprising a base, a supporting block connected to the base, a brush connected to the supporting block with its bristles extending upwardly, handles hinged at the opposite sides of the base and extending up within reach of the operator, means for limiting the action of the hinges, brushes secured to the inner sides of said handles with their bristles extending inwardly, and a chain connected to the upper ends of said handles for limiting the outward movement thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PRATT H. HIGLEY.

Witnesses:

PAUL L. CorrEL, ELISHA A. TINKER.

C'opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, .D. G." 

